This bench was dedicated in memory of Luis Manuel 'Manny' Reyes Mon, who died a year ago in a car accident. The dedication was open to the entire community. / Carol Hirata/For the Beacon

Windsor High School students Hannah West, left, and Taryn Melendez, walk laps on the high school track Friday to remember classmate Luis Manuel 'Manny' Reyes Mon, who was killed in a car accident a year ago. / Carol Hirata/For the Beacon

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Live life with a kick.

In memory of Manny Reyes Mon, Windsor High School students pledged they would do so Friday.

“It’s a reference to the end of a race, when you turn on speed,” said Hannah West, a senior and one of Reyes’ close friends. “Manny’s kick was the best part of his race. Our coach said it was a perfect way to remember Manny, because we should live life with a kick all the time.”

Windsor High School student Luis Manuel “Manny” Reyes Mon died a year ago, Jan. 18, 2012, in a car crash.

“I can’t believe it’s been a year already,” said Alejandro Mendoza, a senior who helped chair a memorial event Friday for Reyes Mon.

Students and teachers at the high school took some time on the anniversary of Reyes Mon’s death to remember him with a special daylong event.

The event included a remembrance walk, and Friday afternoon, hundreds gathered to see a bench dedicated to Reyes Mon. The dedication was followed by a final candlelight walk on the track.

“At Manny’s funeral, his dad hugged me and told me to never forget him,” said Taryn Melendez, Mendoza’s co-chair for the event and another of Reyes Mon’s friends. “This is a way that we can always remember him.”

Walking the track provided an opportunity to reflect, both on Manny’s life — cut tragically short — as well as on her own, West said.

“Even if students didn’t know Manny directly, this tragedy affected everyone,” she said. “It really opened eyes to how short life is, and how precious.”

Karen Aschliman, the Student Council adviser for the students, said her students came to her shortly after Reyes Mon’s death wanting to find a way to honor him.

“We were originally going to have a relay event last spring, but we got rained out,” she said. “So we planned this, and it just felt right to have it on the one-year anniversary. We knew it was going to be a tough day for students.”

Aschliman also said Student Council was raising money, through a raffle and T-shirt sales, to put together a scholarship in Reyes Mon’s name.

“We’ll be forming a committee in February to discuss the scholarship, which we hope will be an ongoing thing,” she said.

Melendez, a junior, said this day was a day to be grateful.

“We’re hoping this will be an annual event,” she said. “Manny loved to run, and I’m glad we got such a sunny day today. I know Manny had something to do with this; his smile was just like the sun.”